The Black Book of Colors

I have been intrigued by Menena Cottin's The Black Book of Colors ever since I heard about it. A few months ago I attended a day-long workshop for teacher librarians, and in the afternoon was able to listen to the head of the children's department at the University of Northern Iowa share some of her new favorites with us. One of those was The Black Book of Colors. I ordered it then and waited patiently while it was back ordered. This past weekend I finally received it in the mail. The entire book is constructed out of black paper with a few lines of white text. The illustrations are raised as is the braille version of the text. This is not something I would share with a large group of students or use as a read aloud, but I do think that kids will be intrigued by it. This would fit especially well when talking about the five senses and using touch to try and "read" the pictures. When I was a classroom teacher most of my students in first grade would ask about braille and would have enjoyed trying it out for themselves. I have enjoyed looking at this book and trying out the braille version of text. This is a unique book that appeals to a wide range of ages and interests.